The top bit of an 8-bit character, which is on in character values 128--255. Also called href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=high bit">high bit, href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=alt bit">alt bit, or href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=hobbit">hobbit. Some terminals and consoles (see {space-cadet keyboard}) have a META shift key. Others (including, *mirabile dictu*, keyboards on IBM PC-class machines) have an ALT key. See also href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=bucky bits">bucky bits. Historical note: although in modern usage shaped by a universe of 8-bit bytes the meta bit is invariably href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=hex">hex 80 (href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=octal">octal 0200), things were different on earlier machines with 36 bit words and 9-bit bytes. The MIT and Stanford keyboards (see href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=space-cadet keyboard">space-cadet keyboard) generated hex 100 (octal 400) from their meta keys. [href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Jargon File">Jargon File]

In addition suitable contents:
[ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=31">2 ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=134">= ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=262">ad ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=396">ag ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=432">AL ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=433">al ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=531">alt ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=535">alt bit ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=544">am ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=592">an ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=740">ar ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=743">arc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=759">arg ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=800">as ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=894">at ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=996">av ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1025">B ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1026">b ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1159">bb ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1269">bi ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1334">bit ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1444">bo ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1446">boa ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1447">board ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1639">bucky bits ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1695">by ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1699">byte ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1708">C ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1724">ca ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2001">ch ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2018">char ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2019">character ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2136">ck ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2138">cl ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2145">class ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2247">co ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2545">con ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2606">cons ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2610">console ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3151">de ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3371">diff ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3436">ding ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3752">du ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3834">E ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3896">ed ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3929">ee ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4148">er ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4150">era ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4171">es ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4198">ET ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4199">et ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4497">fi ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4520">file ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4700">fo ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4727">for ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4828">fr ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5057">ge ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5070">gen ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5089">generate ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5134">gh ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5390">gs ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5434">h ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5611">hex ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5630">high bit ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5656">hing ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5685">hobbit ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5768">hr ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5868">IBM ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5931">id ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5956">ie ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5986">iff ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6013">il ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6064">in ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6068">inc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6449">ir ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6482">is ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6557">IT ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6558">it ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6589">J ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6620">Jargon File ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6789">ke ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6802">key ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6803">keyboard ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6906">ky ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6918">la ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7091">Lex ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7107">li ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7399">ls ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7410">lt ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7415">lu ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7441">ly ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7457">M ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7463">ma ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7479">machine ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7786">META ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7787">meta ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7992">MIT ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8032">mo ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8040">mod ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8046">mode ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8079">module ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8386">na ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8460">nc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8472">ne ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8622">nf ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8627">ng ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8630">ni ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8675">no ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8760">ns ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8820">O ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8910">octal ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8964">om ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9014">op ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9204">pa ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9390">PC ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9457">pe ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9550">ph ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10253">query ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10364">rc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10385">re ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10754">rl ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10767">ro ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10918">S ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10922">sa ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11150">se ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11314">sh ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11651">so ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11757">space ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11758">space-cadet keyboard ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11934">st ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12359">T ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12366">TA ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12533">terminal ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12588">th ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12721">to ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13008">ug ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13175">us ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13252">va ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13260">value ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13274">var ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13310">ve ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13820">word ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=14075">yt ]